A win, ugly or not, is a win.
And the Broncos, for the first time since 2021, picked up a season-opening win against the lowly Tennessee Titans.
On a Monday morning in Denver, however, one might think the sky was falling. The offense sputtered. Bo Nix looked like a rookie, throwing two interceptions, coughing up one fumble and calling it a day with an uninspiring 60.0 rating. With a completely revamped, new and improved running back room, Sean Payton coached the same way he coached last season for the majority of the game; it didn’t appear as if there was any sort of renewed commitment to the running game. Eventually, the ground game came through, but it was touch and go for longer than most expected.
Had it not been for Denver’s stingy defense and some head-scratching coaching decisions coming from the other sidelines, the Broncos might have lost. Should have lost. They were an 8-point favorite according to Las Vegas – and that was indeed the margin of victory – but it darn sure didn’t look like it was supposed to.
Without a doubt, it wasn’t the opener the Broncos faithful have been dreaming of throughout the offseason.
Still, they’re 1-0, and that’s as good as it can get after one game in a division where every game is sure to matter come January.
“Opening weekend, there are so many different things that can go into that first game. It’s a game that involves some adjustments, maybe more than normal,” Payton said following the games, giving grace to his team’s early struggles. “There’ll be a lot for us to correct and work on, looking at the film tomorrow, and then we’ll get ready. But I think tomorrow in our league is extremely important. These next three or four Mondays and how quickly we can accelerate the learning curve, make the corrections… It’ll be critical.”
The coach is right. Despite the Monday talk show critics, it’s no time to panic; there’s a long way to go in a 17-game schedule. If anyone believed the Broncos would be good this season, there’s no reason to change that line of thinking. Payton is too good of a coach; just as he did last season, he’ll work out the kinks.
Perhaps his biggest blunder, however, might have offered long before kickoff on Sunday.
Payton might have jinxed the Broncos. He might have messed with karma. He might have been just a bit too cocky.
The coach has been downright brash about his organization’s ability to keep players healthy. Then again, the bravado is somewhat justified. For two seasons in a row, the Broncos have been the healthiest team in the NFL. Whether it’s luck, skill or a little of both, the numbers don’t lie.
And Payton isn’t afraid to talk about it.
“It’s a credit to everyone involved and there’s a lot that goes into that,” Payton told The Athletic in January. “Then, if you’re finished towards the bottom, there’s a lot that goes into that, too, and you’ve earned that. I know Greg (and) everyone involved in the process is really excited because here’s the thing: You’re also selling to your players and now your players are wanting to be here for their recovery. They want to be here for the offseason. They want to be here lifting. They want to be here. They’re not all disappearing to the satellite private workout expert facilities that are supposedly (better). … They’re staying here, and there’s more than a year of proof. There are two years of proof. For those prior that it didn’t work out so well for — tough. That’s just what it was. They earned those numbers. When you have 134 players miss games because of injury, something’s wrong. Then when you have 30-something two years in a row, something’s right.”
Over the offseason, it would seem that Payton’s confidence largely dictated how the Broncos handled free agency. The good news was that Payton and general manager George Paton addressed nearly every one of the team’s major needs. But it’s not that simple. While holes were filled – sometimes inexpensively, to their credit – each player inserted had a notable injury history.
Evan Engram, a must-have signing since the Broncos tight end room was virtually non-existent in 2024, came to Denver after having played in just nine games last season.
Talanoa Hufanga, an ubertalented, run-stuffing safety, arrived after having played 10 games in 2023 and seven games last season.
Dre Greenlaw, who, along with Hufanga, was a key piece to the 49ers 2023 defense, tore his Achilles in a freak accident during the Super Bowl. As such, he only played in two games in 2024.
J.K. Dobbins, charged with reigniting the Broncos ground game, has never played a full slate of games in his four-year career – 15, 8. 1 and 13 respectively.
After a concerning training camp and preseason, Greenlaw didn’t play in Week 1, Engram was limited and left with a calf injury. Dobbins and Hufanga both played well and look to be healthy.
Two out of four beats the Titans. But solving half the team’s personnel problems might not allow the Broncos to be the team they have the potential to be.
Until Wednesday, we likely can’t be too sure of the severity of Engram’s injury. And Greenlaw’s rehabilitation has been somewhat of a mystery and still could be heading into Week 2. Here’s hoping everyone stays – and gets – healthy.
But on a Monday in which everyone is busily dissecting Bo Nix’s checkdowns and Payton’s unwillingness to establish the run early against the Titans, perhaps it’s the injuries that should concern Broncos fans the most.
Did the coach jinx the health of his team? Already, they’ve been bitten hard by the injury bug.
